Berzo Demo ( Camunian: ) is an Italian

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces (''province''). The can also ...

Val Camonica Val Camonica (also ''Valcamonica'' or Camonica Valley, Eastern Lombard: ''Al Camònega'') is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the ...

province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia. With an ar ...

, in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

, northern

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

Geography

The town of Berzo Demo is nestled on the southern slopes of the Pian della Regina. It is formed by three villages: the more downstream is Demo, the central one is Berzo and on top is Monte. It is bounded by other communes of

Cedegolo Cedegolo ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 1,258 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. Geography The village of Cedegolo is located in a narrow gorge formed by Oglio river, on its eastern side. I ...

Cevo Cevo ( Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy. Neighbouring communes are Saviore dell'Adamello and Berzo Demo. It is located near Valle Camonica near the slopes of Adamello. Hi ...

Malonno Malonno ( Camunian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. Neighbouring communes are Berzo Demo, Paisco Loveno and Sonico. It is located on the right bank of the river Oglio, in the Val Camonica ...

Paisco Loveno Paisco Loveno ( Camunian: ) is a ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the m ...

, Sellero, Sonico.

History

Monday 6 April 1299, the consuls of the vicinia of Berzo and Demo go to Cemmo where is Cazoino Capriolo, Chamberlain of the Bishop of Brescia Berardo Maggi. Here swear according to the usual formula loyalty to the bishop, and pay the tithe due. On 15 May 1365 the Bishop of Brescia Enrico Sessa invests iure feuds for a tenth of the rights in the territories of Breno, Vione, Vezza, Sonico, Malonno, Berzo Demo, Astrio, Ossimo and Losine Giovanni and Gerardo sons of Pasino

Federici Federici is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aldo Federici (born 1920), Italian ice hockey player *Adam Federici (born 1985), Australian footballer * Anthony Federici (born 1940), identified as a captain in the Genovese crime f ...

of Mu. The peace of Breno of 31 December 1397, the representatives of the community of Demo, Albertino di Martino di Demo and the notary Giovannino Boldrini of Saviore, stands on the Ghibelline bank of

Oglio The Oglio (; Latin ''Ollius'', or ''Olius''; Lombard ''Òi''; Cremonese ''Ùi'') is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd pla ...

. On 17 September 1423 the Bishop of Brescia Francesco Marerio invests iure feuds for a 10th of the rights in the territories of Monno, Cevo, Andrist, Grumello, Saviore, Cemmo, Ono, Sonico, Astri, Malegno, Cortenedolo, Vione, Incudine and Berzo Demo at Bertolino della Torre of Cemmo. In 1760 Berzo Demo and Monte had 790 inhabitants. Between 1927 and 1948 (Royal Decree 28 September 1927) Berzo Demo was joint to

Main sights

The churches of Berzo Demo are: * Berzo ** Parish Church of St. Eusebius, fifteenth century in origin, extended in the seventeenth. The ancon of the high altar was made by Pietro Ramus. * Demo ** Parish of

San Lorenzo San Lorenzo is the Italian and Spanish name for Lawrence of Rome, Saint Lawrence, the 3rd-century Christian martyr, and may refer to: Places Argentina * San Lorenzo, Santa Fe * San Lorenzo Department, Chaco * Monte San Lorenzo, a mountain on t ...

; the portal bears the date 1757 ** Church of St. Augustine, near the bell tower, now deconsecrated. Within a tombstone dated 1640. ** Church of San Zeno, on a small hill at the foot of the commune, is of the sixteenth century. It has a triangular tower-bell. ** Church dedicated to

Saint Valentine Saint Valentine ( it, San Valentino; la, Valentinus) was a 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Western Christianity on February 14 and in Eastern Orthodoxy on July 6. From the High Middle Ages, his Saints' Day has been associated with a ...

(or "of the Dead"): Until a few years ago it was covered with votive offerings (

ex voto An ex-voto is a votive offering to a saint or to a divinity; the term is usually restricted to Christian examples. It is given in fulfillment of a vow (hence the Latin term, short for ''ex voto suscepto'', "from the vow made") or in gratitude o ...

), especially anatomical ones (legs, feet, hands). *The bell tower of 1865 stands on the ruins of a medieval tower-house

Culture

The scütüm are in

camunian dialect Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard, a Gallo-Italic dialect spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in parts of Trentino. Its main variants are Be ...

nicknames, sometimes personal, elsewhere showing the characteristic features of a community. The one which characterize the people of * Berzo is Bersàgoi * Demo is Gòs * Monte is Gàcc On 28 June, the eve of

feast of Saints Peter and Paul The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul or Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul is a liturgical feast in honor, of the martyrdom in Rome of the apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which is observed on 29 June. The celebration is of ancient Christi ...

, the villagers put an

egg white Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms arou ...

in a bottle which they leave in the open air until the next morning; albumin coagulated in filaments then evokes the masts and sails of a

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

, it is the

boat of Saint Peter The boat of Saint Peter ( it, barca di san Pietro) is a popular rural tradition prevalent in northern Italy, particularly in the geographical area of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Trentino, Lombardy, Liguria and Piedmont. This tradition is also ...

References

Sources

External links

Historical photos - Lombardia Beni Culturali
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Lombardy